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DAY of the MASSAGE

Clients who are most successful in their treatment are those who invest time and energy in their own healing process too.
Here are some basic recommendations:

BEFORE THE MASSAGE

It is important to drink plenty of water a few hours prior to a massage. PLEASE BRING WATER WITH YOU TO DRINK for the ride home as well. This hydrates the body and helps prevent wooziness during the massage.

For individuals who workout, scheduling a massage after a workout is better than before, because massage flushes lactic acid and other waste products from muscles. But BEWARE! If you already have knots and muscle tension, it is probably in your best interest to schedule a massage on a day you do not workout at all.

Please wear casual, comfortable clothing to your session, as lotions and oils can damage certain fabrics, such as silk, etc.

AFTER THE MASSAGE

After a massage, a person may experience a variety of symptoms. They may feel unburdened, light headed, floating, clumsy, headache-like, unbalanced, energetic, sleepy, relaxed or mellow! On rare occasions, a person may experience a slight fever, which is due to toxins being flushed from the system when the body is fighting a low-level or asymptomatic infection such as sore throat, etc. Don't worry - a fever is the body's unique defense system for cleaning house - by burning up the rubbish!

Toxins are stored in muscles. Massage flushes these toxins out and into the blood stream, where the urinary system takes care of it through urination. When enough water is consumed after a massage, it greatly speeds this process. Water acts as a medium to carry away the 'RUBBISH'. If water is NOT consumed, then the body will attempt to sweat it out through the pores, resulting in a slight fever.

WATERAny or all of the above unpleasantness can virtually be eliminated by drinking WATER immediately after the massage and continuing throughout the rest of the day. How much depends on the size and the weight of the person.

The newest calculations to date for a day ration of water is:
Divide your body weight in half,
add 20 ounces =
Total water intake per day

Example: 140 lbs. Divide by 2, add 20 = 90 ounces per day

SOAKAt the end of the day of your massage, I recommend soaking in a hot bath for 20 minutes. Add to this bath: 2 part Epson Salts (2 cups) and 1 Part Baking Soda (1 cup) and a few drops of lavender oil (if you like). For deeper massage techniques, some tenderness to the muscles can be expected. This soak helps take much of the soreness away.

COLD COMPRESSFor any soreness remaining after the bath, use a cold compress directly on the area for 20 minutes per hour. A Cold Compress is usually considered a Gel Pack and when taken directly from the freezer it remains plyable.

ICEIce should always be used cautiously. Wrap the ice in a towel and apply 10 minutes per hour to any one area. BUT BE CAREFUL: Ice can make an area so cold that the area becomes numb to temperature. The body will trigger an increase in circulation (to warm things up) this is what heat does. This increases swelling which impedes the healing process and can increase pain 2-3 hours later. The BOTTOMLINE: Ice used too long will work like heat and make you worse.

HEATA good time to use heat is when a muscle has been overworked but not to the point of damage or injury. An overtly tight muscle responds well to moist heat. CAUTION: If there is numbness, tingling or pain that 'refers' to other parts of the body, DO NOT USE HEAT. Use COLD COMPRESS instead.